HALFMOON — Before Double Vision strip club on Route 9 in Halfmoon filed for bankruptcy protection on Valentine's Day, its owner was embroiled in a legal battle with two men who had given him hundreds of thousands of dollars in exchange for a piece of the business.

Double Vision, which has remained open as it tries to reorganize its finances under Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, is owned by Matthew Spangola of Saratoga Springs.

According to documents filed in State Supreme Court in Saratoga County, Spagnola was sued several years ago by two men who live outside the area who claimed Spagnola took their money, but never let them share in the business.

In 2009, Stracci, of West Nyack in Rockland County, and Michael D'Addio, from the Miami area, sued Spagnola in state Supreme Court in Saratoga County. The two men, who were represented by the same attorney, claimed that between 2006 and 2008 they sent Spagnola personal checks totaling $374,000.

In documents filed in connection with those lawsuits, Stracci said he had "substantial contacts... regarding adult entertainment establishments," and that he had heard that Spagnola was in negotiations at the time to sell Double Vision to a company that operated strip clubs in the Northeast under the Foxy Lady name.

The building that houses Double Vision, just south of Ushers Road on Route 9, has been a strip joint for several decades, operating as Odyssey and Bunk House before that. It was at one time operated by a Cohoes couple and later by two brothers from Stillwater. Spagnola, who leases the property, changed the name to Double Vision around 2005.

Stracci also claimed in court documents filed at the time that Spagnola had been in negotiations to sell another bar that he owned on Caroline Street in Saratoga Springs to John Lucarelli of Mechanicville.

Still, Stracci claimed, Spagnola had refused to live up to his end of the deal, although it is unclear from court documents whether that included stock ownership in the business or a share of the profits.

"I have not received a single penny from the defendants or any interest whatsoever in the business," Stracci said in an affidavit filed in the case. "... they cannot substantiate their failure to give me the benefit of my bargain."

Paul Pellagali, a Ballston Spa attorney who represented both Stracci and D'Addio in the case, could not immediately be reached for comment.

Spagnola ended up paying back D'Addio his money, court papers show, although the amount that he owes Stracci is still being disputed, he claims in bankruptcy court documents. Spagnola could not be reached for comment after repeated attempts.